For those of us who live inland, hurricane-tracking seems more a curious indulgence, but if you live along the coastal regions in a hurricane zone, keeping tabs on these atmospheric leviathans is paramount.

Case in point, Hurricane Isaac — at one stage threatening Florida and the Republican National Convention — has moved well west, now following a path through the Gulf reminiscent of the one Hurricane Katrina traveled seven years ago.

While it's shaping up to be a weaker Category One storm when it makes landfall, with sustained winds of between 74 and 95 miles per hour, it's still very much a hurricane, prompting the governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to declare emergencies (and in Alabama's case, the governor to order mandatory coastal evacuations).

Here's a rundown of 2012′s top hurricane tracking apps for those on the go with tablets or smartphones.

Hurricane Hound uses Google Maps as its framework and tracks both forecasts and the locations of Atlantic and East Pacific hurricanes and tropical storms, points out areas the National Weather Service is keeping tabs on and offers standard NWS "tropical outlooks and discussions, public advisories, forecasts, and satellite imagery."

When I checked in last, Hurricane Software was a promising beta freebie. It's now out of beta — still free, though ad-littered (there's a $2.99 ad-free "Pro" version) — and packing hurricane data from the National Hurricane Center, high resolution maps, satellite images, warning information and storm tracks.